Generally, parents and other caregivers are dependent on second hand information and guesswork rather than real-time actionable data that can be used to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for their kids.
Additionally, mental health issues in youth are on the rise. Youth are increasingly diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and other behavior anomalies including attention deficits, hyperactivity, stress disorders, oppositional behavior, reactivity, and aggression. Further, autism and autism spectrum diagnosis rise each year as do the numbers of children categorized as overweight or obese. Increasing numbers of youth experience poor performance and truancy in school. The prevalence of social media use by youth compounding poorly developed interpersonal skills, negatively impacts self-esteem and body image, and can negatively impact sleep. Identifying patterns in activity and mood can lead to early discovery of potential problems and correlations and can provide valuable insight into the connections between mental health and physical health. In order to achieve measurable results, it is essential to examine patterns of behavior and activity in combination. The present invention will provide a comprehensive report of physical activity, sleep patterns, and mood changes over time.
In general, youth communicate differently than their adult parents and caregivers. For kids and teens, emojis can be the gateway to aspects of communication previously closed to them, such as active participation in emotional well-being, self-awareness, and being heard in educational and care settings. Further, kids with special needs have a tendency to wander. This wandering leads to risky behavior and according to awaare.org, 49% of children with autism “engage in elopement behavior with a substantial number at risk for bodily harm”.
Additionally, youth need motivation as they develop healthy habits that include physical activity and awareness. It is indisputable that an increase in physical activity impacts youth in both a mental and a physical capacity. Currently, the U.S. is facing a childhood obesity epidemic. Being overweight or obese in childhood is associated with $14.1 billion in additional prescription drug, emergency room, and outpatient visit healthcare costs annually. The present invention solves the problems above by providing a wearable device with an interactive touch screen display that tracks a user-reported mood along with physical activity levels. This allows users to take an active role in tracking physical activity and allows the wearer and caregiver to set unique goals that are most beneficial to the individual wearer.
It is well known that exercise and other physical activity can improve mood and mental health. For example, exercise and physical activity has been shown to have positive effects on stress, depression, and anxiety to name a few. In addition, psychological mechanisms influence the effects of exercise on mood states. Exercise has also been shown to reduce inflammation via several different processes (inflammation, cytokines, toll-like receptors, adipose tissue and via the vagal tone), which can contribute to better health outcomes in people suffering from mood disorders. The present invention correlates physiological data with a user-reported mood to provide an overall mental health of the user.
Any discussion of prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.